Kanhaiya's 'seditious' speech resonates in California, Yale univs

New Delhi: Coming out in support of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested in a sedition case, students and teachers of several international universities including those from California and Yale, are narrating his ‘seditious’ speech in English and uploading their videos online.

Hundreds, including ex-servicemen, participate in yesterday’s march to condemn the alleged anti-national activities at Delhi’s JNU. Pic/PTI

All for oneEleanor Newbigin, University of London, says in a video, "I have never been a student of JNU but I have interacted with students from the university. I am narrating an excerpt from Kanhaiya’s seditious speech. ‘Some people are saying JNU runs on taxpayers money. Yes, it does. But I want to raise the question: what are universities for? Universities are there for critical analysis of the society’s collective conscience.

Critical analysis should be promoted. If universities fail in their duty, there would be no nation. If people are not part of a nation, it will turn into a grazing ground for the rich, for exploitation and looting’."

Dora Zhang and Damon Young, University of California, say in joint video, "We challenge the RSS’s definition of justice. We say your vision of justice has no place in it for our vision of justice. We will believe in freedom and justice on that day when every person is freely able to exercise constitutional rights."

Asserting if Kanhaiya’s speech was seditious, then all those narrating it should also be penalised, Greta LaFleur from Yale University continues with her narration from the transcript of Kanhaiya’s speech

Chomsky slams VC

Renowned thinker and academician Noam Chomsky has questioned JNU VC M Jagadesh Kumar’s decision to allow police on its campus in connection with the row over an event against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. “Why did you allow the police on campus when it is clear that this was not legally required?” Chomsky asked Kumar in an e-mail.